One of the pitfalls of being gifted to get by with very little effort, is that you tend to just get by. Effort is always required for excellence. If you have a ‘get by’ or ‘make do’ attitude, you generally will not attempt to do anything that requires detailed planning, delayed gratification, or diligent and sustained effort. Ideas come to thinkers; life is made easier for strategic planners; wisdom is given to prayers; and solutions are found by seekers. Just as unused muscles will atrophy or become weaker and weaker, an unused mind will lose its ability to think. Just as the body must be exercised for strength, the mind and the spirit must be exercised for maximum success.
There are challenges facing all of us, both short-term and long-term, and individually and collectively. If we can shake ourselves and wake up from our sleep paralysis, we can prepare for the storms before they arrive. Preparation for what we are facing may come through reading, studying, saving, calculating, working, and praying. We may get help from a teacher, a neighbor, a counselor, a preacher, a YouTube video, a google search, or a library, but ultimately our help must come from God. We will only succeed, however, when we discipline ourselves to put one foot in front of the other, until we reach our destination. If we discipline ourselves to set goals, and remain focused on our daily objectives, we will turn away from the constant distractions that tend to waste our time and energy, and we will become disciplined for long-term success.
We must prepare like we are training for the fight of our lives (because we are)! We must fight procrastination and complacency! We must fight laziness and fear! We must fight the lies and immorality that seek to control us! We must fight for a future! We must fight for strong minds, pure hearts, and clear vision! We must fight every enemy within that attempts to prevent us from accomplishing the purpose God wants us to complete on earth. As the trainer told the boxer in a movie I once saw, “one step at a time, one punch at a time.” As Paul told his student Timothy in the Bible, “Fight the good fight of faith…”
Our success lies in our preparation, and our step-by-step, day-by-day, consistent faithfulness.